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Chronic Illness Minor

BSN students participating in a home care simulation lab

The interdisciplinary minor in chronic illness prepares students from any major to understand and respond to the impacts of chronic illness on the individual, family, the health care system, and society. Knowledge and strategies to address the prevention and the management of chronic illness across its trajectory will enhance the skills and abilities of students who plan to practice in any profession. The minor is open to all undergraduate students at JMU. The minor requires a minimum of 18 credits with no more than 6 credits in the student’s major counting toward the minor.

Steps to Declare Chronic Illness Minor

  1. Consult with your academic advisor regarding the feasibility of your workload to complete the minor in addition to your major requirements.
    1. Declaring a Chronic Illness minor:Log into MyMadison, select Student Center.
    2. Select Major/Minor Change from the “Other Academic…” dropdown menu.
    3. To add a program of study select Add Major/Minor - Choose Chronic Illness as your plan.
    4. After all requests are entered select Submit Request.
  2. Deadlines for submission of the Application to Declare a Chronic Illness Minor are due to the Chronic Illness Minor Coordinator by:
    1. The last day of September for fall registration for the Spring term.
    2. The last day of February for spring registration for the Fall term.

Course Requirements for the Chronic Illness Minor

Core Classes (all majors required to take; no pre or co-requisites for either course):

*** Students completing the Nursing major must plan to take both NSG 390 and 391 prior to starting major courses

Required elective credits:

Non-nursing majors:
A total of 12 elective credits is required. Up to 6 credits of relevant coursework can be applied as electives with permission of the chronic illness minor advisor.

Nursing Majors: Students completing the nursing major should select 6 elective credits.
NOTE: Not all elective courses are offered each semester.

*Special topic courses or other courses not listed can be applied to the minor with the approval of the minor coordinator. Courses must have a strong correlation with chronic illness.

Benefits of the Chronic Illness Minor

FAQ About the Chronic Illness Minor

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Do I have to take the courses in a specific sequence?

No. The minor was designed that the courses can be taken in any sequence, except if the particular course has a prerequisite that must be met before enrolling in the course (i.e. GERN/SOCI courses). It is up to the student to ensure that prerequisite is met. Although the two core courses are not restricted to Chronic Illness minors, we encouraging the student to declare the minor prior to taking the core courses. The core courses can be taken in any order or simultaneously.

Can my 2 credits of nursing electives required for my nursing major be applied to the minor?

Yes, as long as they are chronic illness electives. If you are accepted to the Nursing program, 2 credit hours of electives used for the Chronic Illness minor can also count towards the nursing major.You need to complete a minimum of 6 credits of Chronic Illness electives in addition to the 6 credits of core Chronic Illness courses for a total of 12 credits.

What if I have taken a class I believe should be accepted as credit for the Chronic Illness minor but is not listed as an elective option?

You can apply to have the class reviewed by the course coordinator. If the coordinator feels there is sufficient justification to consider the course, the coordinator will present that course to the School of Nursing Curriculum Committee to seek formal acceptance or rejection of the credits. Be aware that no more than 6 credits of the student’s major can be applied to the minor.

Will I be notified when I am a declared Chronic Illness minor? Will it show up on My Madison or will I receive an email or will I just be able to register for the classes required for the minor?

Signed declaration pages are forwarded to the registrar’s office and the minor should show up on your record within 7-10 business days. If not, and it has been at least 14 days since you brought your declaration page by for a signature from the Chronic illness adviser, contact the registrar’s office.

Questions about the Minor? Contact:

School of Nursing